Eggnog Between Friends
by Kelly123
Summary: revamped, reedited, reposted. Ellie Nash Vs. The Holidays, round one: Christmas.
1. Chapter 1

_Remember this?_

_Okay, "Eggnog Between Friends" was I think the second or third piece I ever posted on and...well, lets just say it was not exactly my best. It was short, underdeveloped, and kind of juvenile. Plus I think I cussed too much. However, I felt fairly satisfied with its successor ("Champagne Between Friends") and felt like it needed a better opener. Therefore, I decided to give this story another go-around. I edited, lengthened, and tried to snip out some of the foul language. In the end, I came up with..._

_THIS._

_So for first-timers and those who read the first version, I now present to you this little holiday ditty, an early present from yours truly, "Eggnog Between Friends." It is set back in the previous season, sometime in December (obviously) after Weddings, Parties, Anything, but before Together Forever. I do drop a bad word in there every now and then, hence the T rating, but everyone keeps their clothes on, so don't worry. Enjoy! Oh, and I don't own Degrassi!_

* * *

To start off with, Ellie Nash might not be a lot of things. 

Now admittedly, to some this proclamation might seem an understatement, but we aren't going to concern ourselves with them. It is with Ellie herself that our focus lies, as they are her own shortcomings we speak of. She had come to accept her own such...issues with time, plentiful (at least to her) as they seemed to be. However, this is not to say that our dear Ellie was a girl with nothing going for her. Though that might have seemed to be her take on the situation presented more than once, it simply was not true. Because, as is the case with most people, this little lady did possess one secret talent. Ellie might not be able to sing or tap dance or flail about in intricate circles on ice-skates, but she sure was one helluva liar.

Not quite the thing one might win a medal for, but handy nonetheless.

Lying though, she quickly realized, was not quite the sort of aptitude one chose to flaunt. Take for example if you would, Craig Manning. Now, Craig was a classmate of hers (obviously, _painfully_, nothing more), and had proven himself to be a pretty skilled liar right around this time last year. Fluffy scarves, vintage Ramones t-shirts...ringing any bells? Precisely, and just look where that got him. No, Ellie preferred to avoid such a downfall (though honestly, how much further down could she go?), and keep her gift under wraps, lest those around her start doubting her ever word.

Because if they did know, people would be astounded at the ease and skill with which she constantly professed these untruths. She did it without batting an eyelash, without a second's hesitation, and never with a single doubt. It came as naturally as breathing to her.

She lied to everyone in group ritually. She soon figured out that therapy was so much easier that way, when you just had to pretend that you were getting better rather than actually having to make an effort. Just part your lips, open your mouth and let the niceties flow.

"Everything was going great for her! Not a single new cut in months! Look, she could even wear short sleeves now! She finally realized she couldn't control her pain with more pain!"

After all, no one could see the fresh wounds on her thighs through the denim of her jeans. God bless winter for banning the army of fishnets she owned to the bottom of her sock drawer.

She lied to Jimmy the second he started showing an interest in her as something more than a friend. It was ridiculously simple to almost blush and mumble sweet tales to Marco about the nights the two band mates spent together, cuddled close on his couch and watching that painfully optimistic Christmas-time classic, "It's a Wonderful Life" over his million-dollar home entertainment system. Ridiculous, of course, because she could say these sorts of things when there was absolutely no meaning behind them.

"She has so much fun with Jimmy! He is such a great guy! You know, she might be really starting to develop strong feelings for him!"

And who cares if it was Craig's face she imagined whenever they touched. I mean damn, why did she have to be so cliché?

She lied to her father whenever he could manage the time to drop her a call from base to wish her a Merry Christmas. Now these lies...these in particular weren't as easy to spill as the rest, and sometimes her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth when she tired to converse with his tired voice. God, saying those things to him hurt more than anything, but she knew that these were the stories that mattered the most.

"Mom and her were really starting to work things out! There wasn't a drop of alcohol in the entire house! Oh gosh Dad, don't laugh, but they were going Tuesday to look for a Christmas tree!"

Actually, Ellie had stopped concerning herself with whether or not her mother drank herself into a stupor. If mommy dearest didn't care about ruining her life, why should she?

Most of all though, Ellie lied to herself. Lies to herself were easier to tell, but harder to believe. After all, the people who she usually fed fibs to might tend to be a tad bit skeptical on occasion, but for the most part they believed her. Nothing insulting their intelligence, but they just didn't know any better. She, on the other hand, knew firsthand what sort of an untrustworthy person she was dealing with, and therefore the tales were just a bit harder for her to swallow. Everyone knew that Ellie Nash didn't take crap from anyone. It was just hard when she couldn't take it from herself.

"She didn't need anyone's help. Nothing was wrong with her. No one understood what she was going through, and even if they could, no one would care."

All it took was a couple conversations in her head before she could shut her eyes and fall asleep at night. Some things are just better left unsaid.

Of course, she might have been a cynic for about as long as she had been able to define the word, but she hadn't always been a liar. As a matter of fact, at first, she hated lying...

Well wait, no, that's not true. To be more specific, she hated lying to certain people. As for the others, hell, she would have told Manny Santos complete and utter bullshit until she was blue in the face and it wouldn't have fazed her a bit. But Marco? And her father? Those two men meant the world to her, and the fact that she could lie to their face (or their voice, in the case of her Dad) and have them wholeheartedly believe the falsehood she had just fed them hurt.

But at least in Marco's case, the pain grew weaker in time, fainter and fainter until she only felt the slightest tinge of regret when she told him yet another ludicrous excuse. Sorry pal, but she couldn't go caroling with him because her mother and her were actually going to try and attempt making Christmas cookies that didn't taste like burnt rubber. Ha ha, laugh all you want you little elf, but she saw those pictures of you in a red and green apron with your Ma from last year. Yeah, shut him up.

In the back of her mind, though, a little part of her wanted to wrap her fingers tightly around his arm and hold on for dear life, wanted to scream at the top of her lungs right into his face, "Don't you know me Marco? Don't you know me better than this? Don't you know I'm lying? Stop me, help me, please!" But she had to swallow it down, had to push it away, because no, he didn't know her, not anymore.

And there it was again, yet another subconscious lie.

The guilt was fleeting though, and she had soon figured out an antidote for any attack of such an emotion that she might happen to experience. It was simple enough. Just keep lying. Just fake a smile, (a small, sarcastic smirk, of course). A toothy grin would have sent out a red alert that this girl was not at all herself. Quirk an eyebrow, throw out the expected snide comments and let everyone think she was okay.

Well, at least as okay as Ellie Nash could be.

Besides, who would really care if she wasn't anyways? Not him, that much she could be certain of.

No, shut up, stop it! She couldn't, she wouldn't think about that boy, because he sure as hell wasn't thinking of her. Anyway, she had more important things to worry about than stupid boys and slutty girls. She had Marco's Christmas party sneaking its nasty little way up on her in the near future, looming ominously around the corner with all of its disgusting promises of holiday cheer. Yeah, she had better focus her worries on how the hell she was going to manage to get herself out of that one.

* * *

_Reviews would be lovely, especially in this season of giving!_


	2. Chapter 2

_CHAPTER TWO _

_Okay, now time for a completely new chapter, one that wasn't in my original version at all. Now admittedly, this is just kind of a filler, but I love writing Marco/Ellie friendship interaction and saw this as a good opportunity to include some. So here it is. I don't own Degrassi, and remember to think back to last season when you read this (the whole story, not just this chapter), or it won't make any sense. Enjoy!_

* * *

Seriously, for someone who was all for "rising against," she had no spine. 

None. Whatsoever.

As a matter of fact, if it weren't for the stiff boning in this little corset-type thingamabob she had dug out from the back of her closet (leftovers from her gothic phase, call her nostalgic if you will), she would probably flop right over and sag down from the waist like a dead jellyfish. Yeah, that's right, just melt down into a big slimy puddle of goop on the attractively rugged faux concrete floor of the trendy boutique she had somehow been forcibly dragged into. That certainly would give the over processed blondes behind the counter something to really sneer at.

Not, of course, that they weren't already shooting her dirty looks from their prestigious perches on fashionably uncomfortable stools (because they were), but the whole getting jellyfish goop all over the ground they (might) have to clean would only give them a legitimate reason to do so.

Pretty sure dead jellyfish weren't allowed to attend Christmas parties. They drip goo on the coffee table, and that simply could _not_ be tolerated. Who wants to celebrate the holdiays with jellyfish goo on their gingerbread? And besides, wasn't she supposed to be getting out of going to Marco's thing anyway?

Ding, ding ding! Precisely! That would be the correct answer indeed! Lovely, so cue the music, shine the lights, hand her a great big fat check and send her away to someplace that didn't go all psycho for Christmas...if there was such a glorious location.

Ahh, if only. But wait...

If not going to the party was at the top of her Christmas list, then try explaining why she, the official holiday jellyfish/liar extraordinaire, was stuck smack dab in the middle of such a snobby little overpriced store in the first place, shopping with the boy of all seasons for an appropriately festive outfit right now.

Oh yeah, because she had no spine!

"You think silver is too flashy?" Marco inquired of her, brow furrowed and lips pursed as he pulled an expensive-looking metallic shirt from a sale rack at the back of the store and held it up against himself. She grunted grudgingly in return, she _wasn't_ in the mood. Her demeanor didn't seem to phase him though, he was used to her moods, because this was _his_ Ellie after all. "Sorry Elle, what was that you said?" he asked again pleasantly.

She rolled her eyes immaturely up to the ceiling and whined in a tone of utter exasperation, "I _said_, I think _you're_ the one who's too flashy" with the just slightest evidence of a pout, hands curled into tight fists at her sides.

"Tut, tut Elle Belle," he chided, "that's no way to spread the holiday cheer! But luckily I know just the thing to put some spirit in your step! (Uh, yeah, she doubted that.) You'll feel oh-so much better once we find you a drop dead gorgeous number to wear to my party! Some thing that shows off that lovely little physique you've been hiding from Craig beneath all those layers!"

Ellie felt her cheeks burn instantly at the mention of _his_ name (but _why_, damnit!), and instinctively shot a nervous glance over her shoulder in the direction of the aforementioned sales girls. It was irrational, of course, but she half-expected to see their little pink manicured fingers zealously tapping out Manny's phone number in order to divulge the interesting tidbit they had just overheard, or at least whispering feverishly amongst themselves at the news.

'Are you serious? That dowdy little redhead over there? The one with horrible top on and entirely too little make-up? Ha, she couldn't possibly think she had a chance with THE Craig Manning, could she? Oh, she did! How sad. Let's all laugh at her!'

Luckily though, only one of them (let's call her Bambi, or Brandi, or goodgodwomanyouactuallypaidmoneytobethatshadeoforange...or Sarah, whatever you prefer) seemed to notice Ellie had even spoken, and her only response was to arch an eyebrow disdainfully in the redhead's direction when the two girls made eye contact. Ellie felt her jaw tense, but quickly looked away and pretended to busy herself at the rack.

"Shut up Marco." She said through clenched teeth, wishing desperately that she hadn't let his comment affect her so visibly. "I'm not hiding anything from Craig, clothing or otherwise, anymore than I am hiding anything from you! (oh, if he only knew...) You two are my _friends_. That's it. And besides, I've already told you I can't go."

"Mmmm, you don't say, do you? Oh my Elle, you know, that flush on your cheeks really compliments your eyes." The glare she then shot him was supposed to be withering, but he only seemed to flourish under its wrath, his lips twitching upward and his eyes brightening. "Now, what was that you said about liking Craig the same as me? Because as I seem to remember it, you happened to have a little bit of a crush on me way back when, didn't you my dear?"

"Whatever Marco." She replied tiredly, but her friend took no notice.

"Now we all know you had a thing for me, and _I_ know you have a thing for Craig, so now all we have to do is open up our beloved lead singer's eyes to the beautiful girl standing right in front of him!"

Marco tended to be way too damn cheerful at times. Luckily, Ellie had never experienced an overabundance of the stuff herself.

"Too bad he already _has_ a beautiful girl right in front of him. And her name just happens to be Manny Santos, Marco, if you hadn't forgotten that little bit of information."

"Manny, oh phhh." Marco said dismissively, waving the mention of the girl away with a flick of his wrist and quickly moving on. "Now _this_! Wow Elle, Craig would definitely notice that you are a girl if you slipped your sexy self into this!" he cried a bit too loudly for Ellie's liking, holding a dress with a plunging neckline up for Ellie's inspection.

"No!" she cried, and her exclamation came out a bit harsher than she had intended as she snatched the dress from Marco's grasp, drawing yet another stare of disapproval from the blondes at the counter. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Ellie shot them back a look of her own, and blondes number one and two quickly averted their eyes. Sighing deeply, she replaced the dress (which Marco knew good and well she would _never _wear) and turned to face the boy.

"I'm not wearing that dress. I am not wearing any dress. I am-"

"No dress? Hmm, naked could work. Yes ma'am, we could certainly get his attention if we went with the naked thing."

"Seriously Marco shut up! I am not wearing any dress because I am _not going_!" she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and continued to stare at him. Why the hell was he being so stubborn about her attendance? He _knew_ this wasn't her thing!

"Yes you are." He said simply, not offering up any information and regarding her levelly.

"No, I am not. I told you, I can't."

"Yes you can."

"Marco..."

"Ellie, you are forgetting that I love you, and I know you better than anyone, and I know when you're lying. (Ha, that's what you think mister!) Now, I know you don't have anything better to do this weekend than come to my party, and you are just making up excuses because you don't want to have to deal with everyone outside of school. Well suck it up! Because I am telling you, it's going to be a lot of fun and you will regret spending the evening holed up in your room in you don't come."

"Yeah right. Marco. Now I'm telling you, I won't regret it, and I'm not going."

His smirk was unbearable. Why had she ever had a crush on this kid?

"Yes. You are."

* * *

_Reviews are lovely...any takers?_


	3. Chapter 3

_Wow. So how much does it suck that I am getting fewer reviews on this thing now that I have fixed it all up than back when it was a mess? Let me tell you, a whole freaking lot. But somehow I have lots of hits, so if for any reason you're reading this and are just kind of apathetic about reviewing, don't be afraid to drop me a line. Praise, flames, whatever, I just like reading what y'all think. Okay, now I'm done ranting, and on to the good stuff. Or, at least, what I think is the good stuff. Finally Marco's Christmas party has arrived, and now the drama of it all can begin. From this point forward, much of the story has been carried over from the previous version, with a few additional scenes here and there. So basically I just drug the whole thing out a little. But in a good way...at least I hope. I don't own Degrassi or the Muppets or Dickens...so enjoy!_

* * *

"Nog?" 

The question came out of nowhere, and Ellie squinted warily at the festive beverage a shimmering Paige Michaelchuck had thrust in front of her. Good Lord, it was only beginning.

Yes, she had given in and come to Marco's for a force-fed helping of "holiday cheer." Shut it.

Okay, so a quick review. Remember how Ellie Nash had no spine? Well yeah, turns out that such things don't grow over night, because when the cold winter sun dawned on the day of the festivities, she was still in dire need of one. Now mind you that she was just as vehemently opposed to attending as she had been all along, but the relentless arguing with her obstinate best friend was draining, and she hadn't felt like getting into a drawn-out catfight with Marco. God knows the boy was more than capable of throwing one hell of a hissy fit. And after all, with the year that she had been having, giving up and giving in seemed like the only natural thing to do.

Let us recount the tasks Ellie had thus accomplished this year. Giving up on trying to get better and giving in to the allure of cutting again? Check. Giving up on hoping people will understand who she is instead of a believing a stereotype and giving in to lying blatantly? Check. Giving up on hoping her mother would stop drinking herself to death, and giving in on turning a blind eye to what the woman was doing? Check. 'Tis the season to be jolly...right?

Wow, didn't she seem like quite the emo little bitch right now?

But then again, when didn't she? Upon arriving, she made a beeline to the abandoned couch Marco had shoved against the far wall of his living room in order to give the dancers more room, though she was sure he had not intended for it to be used as a fortress to those lacking in holiday cheer. She did not stop to find her host, or even to glance around subconsciously to see if Craig had made it in yet. In her way of thinking, she had done Marco the favor by coming over, and she sure as hell didn't owe him any additional effort. He said she would have fun, but Ellie was bound and determined to prove him wrong. Sitting sullenly all by herself on the sofa, she was perfectly aware that her posture didn't exactly exude charisma, but that was what she was aiming for anyway. She had no problem with the fact that the jolly partygoers (the smart ones, at least) were tending to steer clear of her general vicinity. Engaging in small-talk with a pseudo concerned classmate (i.e., the head cheerleader) was certainly not something she could stomach at the moment. Speaking of stomaching things, though, eggnog...

Mmm, she had to admit that she had always had a particular affinity for the stuff. Back when she was a kid, and her dad was home for Christmas, he would keep a carton of the stuff in the Nash fridge from the day the store started stocking it and...but not that any of that matters anymore of course. Ellie was the one who bought the eggnog now, and she doubted her father would get the chance to taste it until he was home again. If he ever... Tonight, however, she suspected that the beverage would be sans the Crown Royal she had grown accustomed to flavoring it with as of late.

Okay, she knows everything you are thinking, so put your pick up your jaw and shut your mouth! Alcoholism is genetic! If her mother had a problem then there is a high likelihood that she could as well! Yeah, yeah, she knows all that, and once upon a time she had vowed never to touch the poison that had taken a hold of her mother's life, but after awhile...fuck it, you know?

The thought made its way through Ellie's mind as she tentatively sipped her drink, and was surprised to find her assumption proved wrong. Not Crown, of course, but whiskey none the less, cheap as it may be. And perfect Paige just might have been the one to spike the stuff, since Holiday Barbie was obviously more than a little bit tipsy as she plopped down on a chair across from her. The twinkling glitter she had for some reason felt the need to sprinkle in her hair was enough to make Ellie nauseous regardless of the liquor, and her unglossed lips curled in distaste at the rim of her glass. Obviously, the alcohol in Miss Michaelchuck's system had to have been the encouraging factor in Paige deciding to break through the barrier Ellie had attempted to set around herself, and must have also been what kept her from noticing that her presence was not exactly welcome. But just because she was there didn't mean Ellie had to take notice of her, and so as the glittering girl babbled on about the "glamorous gala" they were both attending, Miss Nash let her mind wander.

Paige's dress was green...holly green (eww, was that on purpose?)...mistletoe green...mistletoe was a deadly parasite that attached itself to trees and sucked the life out of them. Hmm, guess there was something about this season she could relate to, she thought with a smirk.

"Lookie here, Miss Ellie Nash, secretly a diehard Kermit the frog fan."

"Huh?" Ellie wondered aloud as she was abruptly startled back to reality, almost spitting out her pleasantly tainted eggnog in the process. And just who was it that was doing the starling and inducing the spitting? Well, none other than the one and only Craig Manning, as he oh-so nonchalantly took a seat next to her on the couch.

"Kermit the Frog, you know The Muppets? Miss Piggie, Fozzie Bear, etc, etc?" he continued, stretching out a lanky arm across the back of the couch, blissfully unaware of its close proximity to Ellie's shoulders. Or at least, blissfully unaware of the chills its proximity was sending down her spine.

"Thanks for the review kind sir, but I think I know who The Muppets are. I just don't know why the hell I am suddenly an enthusiast." She replied, bringing her frothy glass to her lips and taking an overindulgent gulp. Jesus.

"Well ho, ho, ho, calm down there Scrooge! Where's your Christmas spirit?" he joked, leaning forward slightly to tease her, the twinkling lights from Marco's Christmas tree illuminating his (beautiful) face.

"I'm not a Scrooge. You're the Scrooge. You Scrooge." She quipped childishly, peering at him from over the rim of her glass. "Besides, how can I be a Scrooge as well if I evidentially already have an unknown fetish for frogs?"

"All right, watch it there with the attitude little missy. All I know is that when I walked in to this conversation, Paigey McDrunkerson over there was going on and on about how The Muppets Christmas Carol is the best adaptation of the Dickens holiday classic to date, and you were just kinda smiling and staring into space. Now I don't know about any secret fetishes you may have, but I'm pretty sure I still have Sean's number and I could always call him and see if he remembers how you liked it."

"Oh you would, would you?" her tone was teasingly skeptical, and he responded with an overly enthusiastic nod. "And just what makes you think I shared my deepest sex secrets with Sean Cameron, eh? For your information, I reserve that kinda stuff for Esteban, my personal gigolo." She replied with a smirk, running a fingertip around the rim of her now empty glass and staring at him challengingly.

"Esteban, huh?"

"Yep, Esteban."

"Hmm, now did Esteban owe a frog costume, or did you two have to rent one?"

"So, The Muppets Christmas Carol, huh? That's pretty good?" she said, choking back a laugh and turning her attention over to Paige, who sat humming to herself blissfully in an adjacent armchair. God, it would be so much easier to get over Manning if a simple conversation with him didn't just...ignite every part of her.

"It better than just good! It's abso-fuckin-lutely fantastic!" squealed Michaelchuck, leaping up from her seat cushion fervently and clearing her throat in order to properly assault their eardrums, "Heh, hem. This comes from the beginning of the movie, when Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of his old partners. 'We're Marley and Marley, booooo'-WOAH," she exclaimed suddenly, grasping unsteadily at the arm of her chair as her solo was cut short by a sudden case of alcohol-induced dizziness.

Oh yeah, this was going to be an interesting evening.

"You know, I thought that Scrooge only had one dead partner. That's how it is in the play, right?" Craig inquired as he removed the arm from behind Ellie in order to steady their inebriated blonde companion.

"I believe so, but you know, artistic liberty and all. Things change." She said, emphasizing this last part with the slightest bit of wistfulness in her voice, looking just a tad longer than she meant to at the coveted arm that had been taken away from her. Not that she cared, of course, Craig could put his damn arm wherever he wanted to (even around his drummer). The boy didn't notice though, as he continued to smirk at the weaving Paige.

"Whew! That singing wore me out!" Paige exclaimed as she gazed mournfully down at the eggnog she had spilled on the carpet during her little musical number. "I need more nog. Whaddabout you Ellie?"

"Go ahead, fill 'er up. Why the hell not." The redhead responded. She was going to need a lot more liquor if Craig was going to insist on sitting this close to her.

* * *

_Reviews would be lovely in this season of giving...  
_


	4. Chapter 4

_Well hello there Moirariordan! And just how might you be doing on this fine December day? How goes the school and the writing and other such things? Ehh, I understand, same here. At least finals are finally finished (mine anyway) and the holidays can begin, quite a relief, I must say. But anyway, it was nice to hear from you again, talk to you next chapter!_

_Degrassi's not mine. This story takes place in the previous season. Enjoy._

* * *

Of all the happening she could have predicted coming to pass at the, "holiday event of the season," Ellie certainly never thought she'd be getting so hot, and so sweaty, and so worked up with Craig... 

and Marco...

and Marco's neighbor.

I mean hell, who knew that the guy could play the piano so well?

Well, she _had_ foreseen an interesting evening. Eh, might as well just slap a turban on the little lady and call her psychic, because this prophecy certainly appeared to be coming true. Just maybe not exactly in the same strain of the term "interesting" that she had first supposed, but who wants to deal with specifics? After all, "interesting" could entail a plethora of meanings, varying from any shade of marvelous to dreadful. And it was still a bit too early on in the evening to decide which end of the spectrum this night was leaning.

I mean, most of a mediocre little band she liked to call Downtown Sasquatch leading mostly drunk high school students in a rousing set of Christmas carols? And Ellie Nash using the terms "rousing" and "Christmas carols" in the same sentence? She couldn't tell if she should be disgusted with herself for being so mundane, or enthused that she could feign normality so well. But that required simply too much brainpower, and she preferred to just pour herself another glass of eggnog and stop trying to classify everything. She would save that for the morning after. She most certainly would be kicking herself for this in a few hours.

But right now the twinkle of something shiny caught her eye and a genuine smile crept upon her lips. She really should have come over early to help Marco set up, Lord only knows how long it took him to drench his home in decorations. What with all the tinself, garland, and caroling, she might as well have been in flipping Whoville!

Hehehe. Whoville. The Who's. The Grinch...that reminds her of something...

"Stop being such a Grinch Elle!" Craig exclaimed while the two sat on the (still abandoned) couch waiting for Paige to return with the drinks.

"A Grinch? In what way am I being a Grinch Mr. Manning?" she replied, pulling the red throw she had taken from the back of the couch even closer around her. It was chilly after all, what with it being December in Canada and everything.

"You know precisely why. This innocent act isn't going to fly with me Miss Nash." His lower lip protruded just the slightest bit from underneath his upper one.

Good Lord, why did he have to look so cute when he pretended to pout?

"Innocent? Grinch? Me? Whatever could you be taking about?"

"You're hogging the blanket Elle!" he cried, attempting to tug the cloth in his direction.

"Oh, and so that makes me a Grinch? Pardon my confusion Craig, but for some reason I was not aware that the Grinch was such a notorious blanket hog." She said with a smirk, leaning back against the arm of the couch so as to be further from his reach.

"Details, details! But fine, if you are going to be that way, I will just have to take matters into my own hands!" and then he lunged at her...well, maybe not quite lunged, but he did move rather quickly over towards her direction, squishing Ellie between the far end of the couch and himself. He leaned over her, the weight of his body pressing down onto her own and causing a million dirty little thoughts that one most certainly should _not_ have about their best friend to fly through her mind as she struggled to make her mouth form a coherent objection. He yanked the blanket out of her grasp before demurely spreading it over the both of them, patting her knee and smiling pleasantly at her when the two were tucked together nicely.

"Now see, isn't that better?" his asked, his voice dripping of saccharine, snuggling a little closer to his drummer for good measure.

"What was that for!" finally came her lame reply, trying hard and failing miserably to disguise her own voice with fury, struggling hard against the smile fighting at the corners of her mouth.

"Well, this way we can both get the blanket, we're sharing! And besides Elle, it's much warmer like this, don't you think?"

He was right of course, or at least, there certainly was substantial evidence to support his claim. Ellie had to have been extremely warm, judging from the fevered shade of crimson her face and neck were acquiring. It had to be the extra body heat...or maybe just the body that was supplying it. Jesus, that is two times in the past week that Craig Manning has made her blush, and the first time he wasn't even present!

Trying mentally to compose herself, she swallowed hard and pulled the blanket up to her chin, shooting the boy next to her (who, by the way, had never been so close before) a significantly dirty look before making a comment about whether or not he had showered that day. He rolled his eyes and told her smoothly that he had already had his bath for the month, thank you very much, but that just for the record she wasn't exactly smelling baby fresh herself. The flirty banter continued until a slightly stumbling Paige returned with the frothy glasses, raising an eyebrow at the pair's seating arrangement, but not saying a word.

Now, we all know Michaelchuck of course, and so therefore it should go without saying that Paige keeping her mouth shut was no easy feat by any means. Nothing happened at _her _school without her two cents being put in of course, so why should what happened at a party attended by her classmates be any different? But she was feeling rather tipsy and easy-going at the moment, and besides that, it was no secret that she wasn't too fond of _Manny_ _Santos_ to begin with. Craig was an okay guy though, and if he was going to be with anyone, Ellie wasn't a bad choice. Although her choice in clothing was absolutely atrocious, at least the redhead had never made fun of the size of Paige's ass. Catfights and spiteful insults weren't exactly the best way to secure an ally in a battle of hearts.

So Paige weaved her way over to the couch, deposited Ellie's glass (Craig already had one), and situated herself comfortably back in the armchair she had left. She took an indulgent sip, then raised her cup in a toast,

"To our lovely friend Marco, and the spectacular celebration that he has put together. Cheers!"

Everyone lifted their cups and praised Marco good-naturedly right along with her, but then, much to Ellie's dismay, their beloved host decided to make his spectacular appearance. Because, of course, nothing Marco could do would ever be anything less than spectacular. Once again, meticulously shaped eyebrows were raised, but luckily jabbering mouths were kept shut about the proximity of Manning and Nash. However, the smile playing on Marco's lips clearly let his opinion on the situation known.

"Elle! I'm so glad you came, I knew you would!" he chirped with boyish delight, leaning in close to peck her cheek and taking the opportunity to whisper in her ear, "By the way, our friend Paige over there is cut off. Her glass is just straight eggnog now, so don't let her have any of yours, okay? And my oh my, don't you two look quite cozy?"

She attempted to land a vengeful elbow on the cocky bastard, but he moved too quickly away for her, clasping his hands together and offering up the brilliant idea, "Hey guys, lets sing a few Christmas carols, huh?!". This spurred Craig to roll his eyes yet again, but in the end he agreed (just as Marco had known he would) and stood up to go retrieve his guitar from out of his trunk.

Once he was gone both Marco and Paige turned to Ellie with expressions that obviously said, 'I told you so' which frustrated her even more than the absence of her seatmate. This frustration, in turn, only served to frustrate her even more, because he was only her friend, and she shouldn't care where he sat! She had to stop feeling this way about him! However, she obviously couldn't tell those two that, and she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of an explanation (which they didn't deserve, and besides, there wasn't anything to explain!). And so, she only threw her hands up in exasperation before leaving as well to refill her glass without a response to her matchmaking classmates. They still hadn't said anything, but she knew what they were thinking.

Was it her imagination, or did the crowd at the buffet table seem to part when she came over to fill her glass? Ahh, who really cares anyway? Old school Ellie certainly hadn't, and she was missing that girl, the girl who didn't have a secret crush on her straight best friend's ex. Those had been simpler times...though when you think about it...not really. Marco must have given up on trying to extract information out of her, because he began to round up the partygoers around his mom's piano in preparation for the caroling. Evidentially, the whiskey had taken the edge off of everyone's stage-fright, and they seemed abnormally enthusiastic to begin. Then, of course Craig walked in, instrument in hand, she found herself gravitating over to the crowd.

But not before chugging her glass and filling it to the brim once more.

* * *

_Reviews would be lovely. _


	5. Chapter 5

_So I had every intention of finishing this off before Christmas. But, as you can most certainly tell, that is not what ended up happening. As it turns out, the holidays make your life just the tiniest bit hectic. Wow, who knew? But aren't we all still in the Christmas spirit here, and a holiday story after the fact isn't that bad, and still welcomed, right? In any case, I'm going to post it regardless. Oh, and thank you so much to my newcomers! Your reviews were greatly appreciated, and now moirariordan doesn't have to feel obligated to review this thing since nobody else does. Of course, I still hope she does review...but hopefully some of y'all will pick up the slack on the off chance that she doesn't. But anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, and here is another installment of my belated gift to everyone! I don't own Degrassi!_

* * *

Oh what a pity, her glass was empty again. 

But that's okay, she was too busy singing to drink the stuff anyway. It's strange how the words to every Christmas carol she had learned as a child had stayed with her.

Yeah, that's right, she was joining in with the festivities.

She _was_ a music fanatic after all, and Christmas carols technically _were_ music, weren't they? Not particularly great music, of course, but she had to admit, they certainly were catchy.

Oh well, 'tis the season, right? I mean, when in Rome (or Marco's living room) and all... It was just too damn bad that Jimmy couldn't be there to enjoy everything with her! He would be so upset that he missed singing O Holy Night with everyone, it was his favorite!

What a shame.

Because she positively _knew_ he was wishing that he could be here instead of at his aunt's Snowflake Ball for charity! Golly gee, how she missed him! Why hadn't she gone with him? Umm, well, you see...

Yeah...

She swore to God, if one more loony asked her where her "boyfriend" was, she was going to stab them through the heart with a stake of holly...

Wait...wasn't that Dickens? Oh no, it was getting to her too!

Although, when it came down to it, she _had_ always admired his writings...

But honestly, her inner sarcastic comments weren't the whole truth. She really wasn't having half as horrendous a time as she was dictating to herself. Once she got up off of the couch of exile, the need to frown at everyone seemed a bit childish, and she felt her stiff demeanor loosening up a bit in spite of herself. But then again, she wasn't enjoying herself quite as thoroughly as she was telling everyone else either. She was nowhere near a right jolly old elf. It was kinda nice though, her gay little best friend Marco was fun, playing makeshift drums to goofy Christmas songs was fun, and a good little buzz that prevented awkwardness between Craig and her? Well, that was fun too.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned with a smile (a genuine one, at that) to face a classmate. As she faced the girl though, the odor of alcohol emanating from her mouth was overwhelming.

"Ellieeeee!" slurred a very intoxicated Heather Sinclair (Umm, yeah, Sinclair. Who the hell invited her?) "Do you know how to like, you know, ddddrum that Christmas song?"

"What song would that be Heather?" she asked carefully

"You know, that ONE!" the girl exclaimed vehemently, throwing up her hands (one of which held a half-full glass of nog, obviously not her first) into the air to emphasize her point.

"Umm, no I don't think I do..."

"Of course you do, everyone does. You are just being mean to me!"

"No Heather, I really don't but hey, you know maybe you should lay off the eggnog and get yourself some wat-"

Great. Lovely. Ohh, this was just perfect.

Heather BLEEPING Sinclair launching projectile vomit everywhere. All over herself, and on Ellie, and Marco's spotless carpet, and Jesus, even a little bit ended up landing amongst the ornaments on the Christmas tree. Wouldn't Mrs. Del Rossi be absolutely intrigued as to how a nasty little combination of regurgitated cookie dough and whiskey ended up flung upon her miniature nativity? Hmm, Ellie would love to see how Marco got himself out of that one.

She told him having a party was a risky situation. And look at that, she had been right. Let him deal with explaining the mess to his parents, she had to deal with actually having the stuff on her person. Ho, Ho, Ho, and a Merry Christmas to all. What was fun about this again?

"Ohh, nice aim there Heather!" an out of range Craig playfully remarked, observing the scene before him with an expression of bemusement as the crowd backed away from around the girls. Shaking his head slightly, he placed his guitar on one of the clean chairs that had been out of Heather's line of fire and bravely made his way to the messy center of attention. "You feeling any better now Sinclair? Yeah, I didn't think so. Okay Elle, as lovely as I think you two girls look covered in vomit, what do you say we get you and Heather here upstairs and cleaned up a bit? He said, placing a hand on each of the girls' shoulders and smiling sympathetically.

Damn him, Ellie cursed as the trio made their trek upstairs. How in the world was she supposed to get over that boy when he had to go and be so damn nice, even to Heather Sinclair? No one in their right mind was nice to her! But then again, maybe that was it, Craig wasn't exactly in his right mind. But then again, neither was she. (Ellie, of course, not Heather. Though Heather probably wasn't in her right mind either, at least not at the moment, but that was besides the point.)

"You're _so_ nice Craig. Nice, nice, nice. Isn't Craig nice Ellie?" Heather inquired as her caretakers propped her up on the rim of Marco's bathtub, regretfully using Mama del Rossi's nice guest washcloths to sponge her off as best they could.

"Whatever you say Heather." came Ellie's coy reply, giving Craig a sarcastic look from around Heather's profile as she wiped an unidentifiable chunk off of the girl's chin. Craig chuckled softly as he rinsed his loaded washcloth off under the spigot once again and went to work on Heather's arms, returning Ellie's look with a menacing smile.

"Aww, thanks! I agree, I am a pretty amazing guy, aren't I? I mean, I have the looks, the charm, the talent...Wow, you know, sometimes I even amaze myself. Don't you think so Ellie?" said the smirking wonder boy, stripping off Heather's damp, putrid sweater and wrapping her up in a fuzzy bath towel.

"Sure, that certainly is one way to put it." Ellie replied as they stood the inebriated girl up between them and each steadied her with an arm around her waist. Of course, this meant that their arms were touching across Heather's back, but Ellie tried not to think about that part. Slowly they walked (well, Craig and Ellie walked, Heather stumbled), into Marco's guest bedroom where Miss Sinclar could sleep off her condition.

"No I mean it! He's _such_ a nice guy! Manny is so lucky!" Heather continued as the two laid her down on her side and propped her up with pillows on the guest bed. The very mention of that name caused Ellie's stomach to turn slightly, and the fact that Craig Manning was not available came charging back to the forefront of her mind. "Hey...where is Manny anyway? What is a nice guy like you doing at a Christmas party without his girlfriend?"

As much as Ellie really, _really_ didn't want to talk about Miss Santos right now, she had to admit she had been wondering the same thing herself. Why _was_ Craig here by himself? Why had Marco brushed Manny off so easily at the shop the other day? And why had Craig's expression darkened just the slightest at the mention of his beloved's name? And most of all, why had her heart begun to beat a bit faster when she noticed it?

But only a little bit. And that was probably due to the whiskey. Surely.

"Just because she's my girlfriend doesn't mean that we have to spend every waking moment together. I mean, I have my own life you know, my interest, my own friends..." he replied in an irritated tone before he trailed off, catching Ellie's gaze with what she tried to tell herself was _not_ a meaningful expression. It just couldn't be, she had to be misinterpreting it in the darkness of the room. After all, Craig and her were only friends, hadn't he just said that in so many words himself?

But then again, if it didn't mean anything, why hadn't he looked away yet?

* * *

_One more chapter to go, let me know what you think before it's too late!_


	6. Chapter 6

_And here it is, a short and sweet (at least, in my opinion) little finale, finally up and posted long after my projected due date. Please forgive me for the delay. And also, if any of you liked this one, I suggest going over to my profile and reading "Champagne Between Friends" which is the sequel. That one is actually a little bit more in season now, since it takes place on New Year's Eve. I don't own Degrassi or its characters or anything at all really, and I hope you all had a lovely New Years. Cheers!_

* * *

But of course, he did look away. 

Because of course, little Miss Sinclair had to choose this exact moment to emit a loud, resounding belch, and then giggle and excuse herself as if she had just done something endearing.

Lets just say the "mood" was broken.

"Oh jeez Heather, you're a mess." Craig remarked with a sigh, breaking eye contact with Ellie as he pulled the blanket up a little tighter around the groggy girl's chin and patted it down, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"That certainly is one way to put it." Ellie replied with a groan, "What a night," she mumbled as she stood up reluctantly and grabbed a trashcan to place beside to the edge of the bed near Heather's head. Sinclair mumbled out a few indistinguishable phrases and smiled blissfully as Ellie pointed out the trashcan to her, hopelessly lost in her own little intoxicated word of splendor.

"Ohhh yeah, I know what you mean," Craig replied with a chuckle, stuffing a couple of pillows around the girl to prop her up securely on her side. "So what do you think? Feel like going back downstairs and braving the crowd?" he asked skeptically.

"Umm, about that...is it wrong that I would rather clean up the bathroom?" she said with a grimace.

"Yeah, that's pretty messed up, but no fear, I will sacrifice my own merrymaking to rinse out the puke-laden towels in the del Rossi's bathtub with you, my dear."

"Oh my, I do thank you so much sir. Whatever would I do without you?" She said with a sarcastic grin as they made their way to the bathroom.

"Without _me_? Now _that_ is a scary thought ma'am, it's probably best not to torment yourself with such ideas." "Oh god Ellie," He stated as they flicked on the overhead fluorescent light, "that shirt is disgusting!"

"Well thanks a lot Manning, I wore it especially for you!" she replied, holding out her splotchy top and doing a little spin. On no, wait... was she flirting? Couldn't be, he had a girlfriend, she had a...well, she had Jimmy. Calm down Ellie, think rationally.

"I must say I'm wholeheartedly flattered, but no, you know what I mean. That thing has Heather's own special blend of eggnog, whiskey and bile all over the front of it. You've got to get out of it, here, take mine." He offered, pulling his button-down over his head and causing Ellie's knees to almost buckle.

"Oh please Craig, I don't care if you have been struck with a holiday-induced deadly case of Tiny Tim selflessness, put your clothes back on. We both know you'll freeze to death if you go home topless." She objected, trying to keep her voice at its signature flat, cynical level. Which was quite a task, considering the fact that her heart was struggling to make its way past her vocal chords.

"Naw, I'm a real man! Besides, I brought a coat. Go on, take it." He said reassuringly, extending the shirt with a guitar toned arm out to her, which, however, was met with a dubious raised eyebrow. "Oh yeah, I guess I should turn around now." He said with just a hint of a twinkle in his eye.

Ellie wasn't blushing. Not one little bit. Standing there in just a flimsy little bra and a pair of jeans only a few feet away from Craig in just his jeans was nothing she would blush over. Come on guys, she was SO over Craig Manning. They were only friends. Good friends. And friends undressed in front of each other all the time. Yeah, that added color in her cheeks was _only_ because it was just a _tad_ warm in that small, steamy, sexually charged bathroom. Or the fact that she had been drinking just a smidge. Take your pick.

How the hell did it get so hot in there all of the sudden?

"Hey look," Craig exclaimed, gazing above him with his back still turned, "Marco never ceases to surprise. Who puts mistletoe above a toilet?"

MISTLETOE!

Not that she cared, of course.

Mistletoe? Blah, who needs it?

"You know Craig," she declared dully, fastening the final button on his shirt and placing her (slightly, just barely, faintly even) shaking hands on her hips stubbornly, " Mistletoe is actually a terribly parasitic plant. Disgusting, really. I think we would all be much better off if it were eradicated completely. "

"Oh Elle," He said, turning around to face her with a knowing smile. That smartass, cocky, debonair, suave, irresistible smile that she hated to love.. loved to hate. Same difference. _That_ smile... "you really are a terrible liar, you know that?"

And then he kissed her.

On the lips. Under the mistletoe.

Oh dear sweet Jesus, did Eleanor Nash ever love Christmas.

* * *

_The end..._


End file.
